3D Printing Info

Filament comparison

rPLA vs HT soluble

Compare printing settings, strength, heat resistance, dated prices and sources.

Recycled PLA (rPLA) guideHigh-temperature support guide

2 selected · all documented properties

Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore rPLA comparisonsMore HT soluble comparisons
rPLA vs HT soluble — documented properties and sources
PropertyRecycled PLA (rPLA)PLAHigh-temperature supportSUPPORT
Market snapshot
Listing priceUSD/kg; dated snapshots$20.79/kg median; $16.05–$40.64/kg across 8 dated product listings$209.00/kg median; $100.00–$290.00/kg across 4 dated product listings
Identity & Market
Base polymer / chemistryPLA regranulated from post-industrial PLA manufacturing waste; post-consumer feedstock is rare[1][2][3]Break-away support compounded to survive high-temperature print chambers; 3DXTech sells separate grades for PC/ABS and for the PAEK and PEI class[4][5]
Densityg/cm³1.24 (ISO 1183)[1]1.37 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, ISO 1183)[4]
Typical priceUSD/kg1 kg spools run 20–22[6][7][8]1 kg-equivalent spools cluster near 168[9]
Price range across brandsUSD/kg16–41 across brands; Fiberlogy refill 16, Filamentive 750 g 41[10][11]100–290 across grades; 3DXTech THERMAX MTS1 100 at 2 kg, HTS2 168 at 250 g, HTS1 250 at 500 g, IEMAI 3D HT-SP 290 at 1 kg[9][12]
Market availability1–5Available from several mainstream brands[2][3][8]Niche, a handful of specialist brands[9][12]
Spool sizes & diameters1.75 and 2.85 mm; 0.75, 0.85 and 1 kg spools plus spool-less refills[13][10][2]1.75 mm; 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg and 2 kg spools[9]
Typical applicationsGeneral-purpose printing where the feedstock's recycled content matters more than an exact colour match[2][3]Support for PEEK, PEI and PC-class prints, where PVA and PLA-based supports would decompose[4][5]
Diameter tolerance± mm±0.03 guaranteed by Prusa Research today; the 2021 datasheet specified ±0.05, against ±0.02 for virgin Prusament PLA[2][1][14]Not documented
Printing Parameters
Nozzle temperature°C210 ± 10 (Prusament); 200 ± 15 (Filamentive)[1][3]Not documented
Bed temperature°C40–60 (Prusament); up to 60 (Filamentive)[1][3]Not documented
Enclosure / chamber requirement1–5Open frame is fine[1][15]Actively heated chamber required — it is used inside high-temperature builds[4]
Part cooling fan100 %[1]Not documented
Warping tendency1–5None — brim not generally needed[1]Not documented
Bed-adhesion difficulty1–5Sticks to anything[16]Not documented
Overall printing difficulty1–5Beginner — prints on any machine out of the box[1][15]Expert / industrial hardware only[4]
Extruder requirementNot documentedA dual-extruder machine rated for high-temperature materials; 3DXTech states the grade is intended for dual-extruder printers designed to print high-temp materials[17]
Hardware Wear & Reliability
Nozzle hardness required1–4Brass fine indefinitely[15]Brass fine indefinitely[4]
Abrasiveness1–5Non-abrasive[18][15]Non-abrasive[4]
Nozzle clog risk1–5Very low[15]Moderate — needs dry filament and a clean nozzle; 3DXTech lists no special nozzle concerns but a mandatory 120 °C pre-dry for HTS1 and 80 °C for MTS1[17][19]
Heat-creep / jam sensitivity1–5Moderate — good heatbreak cooling needed; PLA softens below 60 °C[20]Not documented
Hotend requirementNo special hot-end required[16]Not documented
Moisture Behaviour
Moisture absorption (hygroscopicity)1–5Moderate — 0.3 % after both 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method), against 0.19 % in 7 days for virgin Prusament PLA[1][14]Not documented
Equilibrium moisture content at ~50 % RH%0.3 after 24 h and 7 days at 28 °C / 37 % RH (Prusa Polymers method)[1]Not documented
Symptoms when wetBubbling and popping at the nozzle, stringing, rough surface and weak layers[21]Not documented
Effect of moisture on strengthPolymaker rates PLA low-sensitivity — the loss shows as poor layer adhesion and brittle layers rather than a published strength figure[21]No dry-versus-conditioned figures are published; 3DXTech mandates a 120 °C, 4 h pre-dry for HTS1 and 80 °C for MTS1 because trapped water flashes to steam at these nozzle temperatures[17][19]
Storage requirementSealed with desiccant below 20 % RH; shelf life at ambient is long[22][16]Not documented
Mechanical Properties
Tensile strength (XY)MPa49 printed horizontal and 55 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1, yield); virgin Prusament PLA gives 51 and 59 by the same method[1][14]Not documented
Young's modulusMPa2100 printed horizontal, 2300 printed vertical XZ (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2300 and 2400[1][14]Not documented
Elongation at break%3.1 at yield printed horizontal (ISO 527-1); virgin Prusament PLA 2.9[1][14]Not documented
Flexural strengthMPa82 printed horizontal, 87 printed vertical XZ (ISO 178); virgin Prusament PLA 83 and 99[1][14]Not documented
Flexural modulusMPa3100 printed horizontal (ISO 178) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[1][14]Not documented
Other impact dataCharpy unnotched 14.0 printed horizontal (ISO 179-1); virgin Prusament PLA 13[1][14]Not documented
Layer adhesion / Z tensileMPa21 ± 2 (Prusa Polymers interlayer adhesion test); virgin Prusament PLA 17 ± 3 by the same test[1][14]Not documented
Brittleness1–5Brittle — snaps with little warning[20][18]Not documented
Hardness (scale-specific)Shore A / Shore D / Rockwell80 Shore D (Prusa Polymers in-house method); virgin Prusament PLA 81[1][14]Not documented
Creep resistance / sustained load1–5Poor — no recycled-PLA creep data published; virgin PLA sagged from 12 to 18.7–20.3 mm over 5 days at 1.25 kg[23][24]Not documented
Fatigue / repeated-flex resistance1–5Poor — no grade-specific S-N curve; plain printed PLA ran 38 000–49 000 cycles at 30 % of tensile strength (R = 0.2)[25][20]Not documented
Elasticity / flexibility1–5Rigid[18]Not documented
Wear resistance & frictionNot documented3DXTech marks tensile strength, modulus and elongation as not applicable for its support grades — they are not characterised as structural materials[4]
Thermal Properties
HDT at 0.45 MPa°C55 (ISO 75, 0.45 MPa) — the same as virgin Prusament PLA[1][14]Not documented
HDT at 1.8 MPa°C53 (ISO 75, 1.8 MPa); virgin Prusament PLA 55[1][14]205 (THERMAX HTS1, printed XY, ISO 75 at 1.8 MPa)[4]
Glass transition (Tg)°CNot documented225 (3DXTech THERMAX HTS1, DSC) — high enough to stay solid inside a PEI or PEEK build[4]
Continuous service temperature°C55 (Filamentive states heat resistance up to 55 °C)[3]Not documented
Thermal expansion (CTE)µm/m·K96–99 for plain printed PLA (fibre Bragg grating, 25–50 °C); no grade-specific measurement published[26]Not documented
Flammability / UL 94Flammable; no UL 94 rating published by the major brands[22][27]Not documented
Environment & Chemical
UV resistance1–5Degrades within weeks outdoors[20][28]Not documented
Chemical resistanceGood against weak acids, oils and grease; poor against strong acids and alkalis; dissolved by chloroform, THF and hot benzene[27][20]Not documented
Water / humidity resistance in service1–5Good — insoluble in water[22]Not documented
Food contactFilamentive certifies its rPLA to EN 71-3 and lists it food safe; printed layer grooves still harbour bacteria[3][20]Not documented
Biodegradability / compostabilityIndustrially compostable only — needs sustained 55 °C; not home compostable[3]Not documented
RecyclabilityThe feedstock itself; Filamentive uses 50 % post-industrial content and runs a PLA take-back scheme[3][11]Not documented
Electrical & ESD propertiesNot documentedSurface resistance above 10^13 ohm/sq on all three THERMAX support grades (ASTM D257) — insulating[4][29][5]
Health & Safety
Fume toxicity1–5Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission[30]Low hazard — minimal VOC and particle emission; none of these materials was in the chamber study[30]
Hazardous species emittedPrusament rPLA Corn Pigment uses organic waste pigments such as red algae, which give a noticeable scent while printing[2]Not documented
Ventilation / filtration requirement1–5None needed in a normal room[30]Open a window / occasional ventilation[30]
Post-Processing
Sanding & machiningWet sanding — dry sanding heats the surface by friction and smears it[28][20]Not documented
Gluing & solvent weldingSuperglue for most joints; acetone works on some grades depending on additives and colour[2]Not documented
Vapour / chemical smoothingNo practical vapour smoothing — only chloroform, hot benzene or THF, which are laboratory-only[20]Not documented
Support material pairingNot documentedThis is the support material. MTS1 is matched to PC/ABS and PC; HTS1 and HTS2 to the higher-temperature classes[5][4]
Solvents & Solubility
Soluble inChloroform: 10 % w/v in 2–4 h at 23 °C, every grade and morphology; THF and DMF only at 65 °C. Laboratory reagents.[31]Aqueous alkali, not water: IEMAI specifies an alkaline bath in an ultrasonic cleaner until the support dissolves.[12]
Softened or crazed byAcetone, ethyl acetate and toluene plasticise it but dissolve <1 % even at 65 °C; submersion in acetone crazes and destroys parts.[31][32]Not documented
Solvent welding & smoothing agentChloroform vapour smooths and welds PLA at the cost of tensile strength; acetone does not smooth it at all.[33][32]None — the alkaline bath dissolves the support rather than welding anything.[12]

Material entries describe families or representative grades, not an interchangeable specification for every spool. Test methods, orientations and conditions may differ. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Prusament PLA Recycled Technical Datasheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2021-12 · tds
  2. Prusament rPLA Corn Pigment 1kg — product page Prusa Research · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. Filamentive PLA (recycled) — product page Filamentive · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. THERMAX HTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  5. THERMAX MTS1 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  6. 3D-Fuel ReFuel Recycled PLA 1kg 3D-Fuel · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Proto-pasta Black Recycled PLA 1kg Proto-pasta · 2026-08 · vendor
  8. Formfutura ReForm rPLA (White) 1kg Filament2Print · 2026-08 · vendor
  9. 3DXTech product catalogue 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. Fiberlogy rPLA Refill Anthracite 850 g 3DJake International · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. Filamentive PLA (rPLA) 750 g CREATE Education · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. IEMAI 3D HT-SP alkaline-soluble support filament — store page IEMAI 3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  13. Kimya PLA-R 750 g Crea3D · 2026-08 · vendor
  14. Prusament PLA Technical Datasheet v1.1 Prusa Polymers · 2022-02 · tds
  15. Filament Material Guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  16. PLA — Ultimate 3D Printing Materials Guide Simplify3D · 2026-08 · doc
  17. THERMAX HTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  18. Prusament PLA — material page Prusa Polymers · 2026-08 · doc
  19. THERMAX MTS1 — product page 3DXTech · 2026-08 · vendor
  20. PLA — material guide Prusa Knowledge Base · 2026-08 · doc
  21. Wet Filament — signs, causes and drying Polymaker Wiki · 2026-08 · doc
  22. Bambu Filament Technical Data Sheet V3.0 — PLA Basic Bambu Lab · 2026-08 · tds
  23. BambuLab PLA Basic vs PLA Tough vs PLA-CF — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  24. PolyTerra PLA vs PLA+ — results spreadsheet My Tech Fun (Igor Gaspar) · 2026-08 · test
  25. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Polymeric Materials — PLA and PETG — For Biomechanical Applications Polymers 16(13):1868 · 2024-06 · paper
  26. Characterization of Thermal Expansion Coefficient of 3D Printing Polymeric Materials Using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors Materials 17(18):4668 · 2024-09 · paper
  27. PolyLite PLA Technical Data Sheet V5.4 Polymaker · 2024-11 · tds
  28. Prusament PLA Technical Data Sheet v1.0 Prusa Polymers · 2018-09 · tds
  29. THERMAX HTS2 Break Away Support Technical Data Sheet v1.0 3DXTech · 2026-08 · tds
  30. Emissions of Ultrafine Particles and Volatile Organic Compounds from Commercially Available Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments (Azimi et al.) Environmental Science & Technology 50(3) 1260-1268 · 2016-01 · paper
  31. Solubility Study of Ingeo Biopolymer Grades in Common Organic Solvents (NWPD003) NatureWorks · 2019-10 · tds
  32. Improve your 3D prints with chemical smoothing Prusa Research · 2026-08 · doc
  33. Effect of vapour smoothing in trichloromethane on 3D printed PLA — surface, mechanical and chemical structure Pitale, Keche & Chopra, Engineering Research Express 6(4) 045579 · 2024-12 · paper